Pompigne says Media outlets across Africa need to invest more in producing content, in order to counter the force of international conglomerates that are ambitiously investing in Africa, targeting African audiences and competing for African airwaves.
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, the CEO of APO Group, a media relations' consulting firm and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East
Competition from Western and Asian media outlets could affect the survival of indigenous media houses in Africa, according to Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, the founder of media relations consultancy firm, APO Group.
Pompigne says Media outlets across Africa need to invest more in producing content, in order to counter the force of international conglomerates that are ambitiously investing in Africa, targeting African audiences and competing for African airwaves.
He was making reference to the dominance of media houses like Chinese CTGN (China Global Television Network), into a market which was formerly controlled by CNN, BBC and Deutsche Welle (DW).
He argues that while the emergence of such media houses offers diversity to listeners, viewers and readers, it comes with competition to the locally founded media houses adding that the trend should worry media owners in Africa.
Pompigne, a Franco-Gabonese former journalist says one of the major underlying challenges of African media outlets is content adding that African media must find a way to make its content more attractive to its audiences.
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Pompigne, who is visiting Africa’s major journalism training institutions, further argues that the trend is going to impact revenues to local outlets as multinational advertising companies opt for international media outlets. This, he argues is likely to affect talent development and the capacity of indigenous outlets to compete for the same audience.
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Dr Fred Kakooza, a Multimedia production expert and lecturer at the Makerere University Department of Journalism equally acknowledges that Uganda’s media lacks quality content. He also raises fears of regulation that sometimes push local media into self-regulation and give a blind eye to content that engages the population especially on governance issues which an international media will gladly air.
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Dr Kakooza, however, states that local media houses still have an edge over international media in terms of proximity. He contends also that even stories told by natives on international media are better told than the foreign press.
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Dr Sarah Namusoga, a mass communication lecturer at Makerere University demands more emphasis on access to enable people to access local content.
Davidson Ndyabahika
Freelancer
